Some ‘Idol’ performances still reverberate today

7. Christina Christian, “Ain’t No Sunshine,” season one

It’s usually the girls with the big voices who make a splash on “Idol,” but sultry 21-year-old Christian went the other direction, turning Bill Withers’ very mellow “Ain’t No Sunshine” into a sexy serenade. Simon, who admitted a little crush on the finalist, compared her performance to Sade. Other male fans, meanwhile, bent to wipe their drool off the floor.

Her close second: “Glory of Love”

Vince Bucci / Getty Images file

6. Clay Aiken, “Build Me Up Buttercup,” season two

If this list were about overall consistency, Aiken, 24, would have ranked much higher. Save for an uber-cheesy rendition of “Grease,” the season two runner-up turned in one strong performance after another. The Foundations’ “Build Me Up Buttercup” was an unusual but welcome choice for the balladeer, who hadn’t loosened up until then. Oddly enough, the song became a favorite of his many fans, who likely not only downloaded the original but used it for new signs, such as: “CLAY YOU’RE MY BUTTERCUP.”

His close second: “Bridge Over Troubled Water”

5. Justin Guarini, “Get Here,” season one

Sure, now he’s a Trivial Pursuit punchline, but think hard and you’ll remember that Justin Guarini, 23, was once in hot pursuit of Kelly Clarkson’s season-one title. He first made his mark singing Oleta Adams’ “Get Here” during the final auditions, bringing Paula to tears. With a romantic croon free of the Michael Jackson facial expressions that haunted other performances, Guarini had the same mesmerizing effect when he sang it in two more rounds of the finals. Randy called it the “best performance in this whole competition.” Just goes to show that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

His close second: “Let’s Stay Together”

4. Tamyra Gray, “A House is Not a Home,” season one

Would you rather have a flawless performance that leaves you cold or a near-flawless performance that chokes you up? We pick the latter, and 23-year-old Gray delivered, with a raw, heart-wrenching rendition of  Dionne Warwick’s “A House is Not a Home,” sung on a Burt Bacharach-themed night. Had she connected emotionally with the audience more often, this technically gifted singer could have won the title. Meanwhile, as Simon said, it’s “one of the best performances on TV I have ever seen.”

Her close second: “A Fool in Love”

Lucy Nicholson / REUTERS file

3. Ruben Studdard, “Superstar,” season two

The 25-year-old “velvet teddy bear” with the 205 jerseys sang the Carpenters’ “Superstar” on his very first appearance, and the early notes (“Long ago, and oh so far away…”) seared right into the spot on your body that makes you shiver. Though he sang with a dimpled smile, the wistfulness in his buttery-rich tenor broke hearts. Studdard, the eventual season-two winner, was greeted with a standing ovation from both Randy and Paula. A champion was born.

His close second: “A Whole New World”

2. Kelly Clarkson, “Stuff Like That There,” season one

It's really difficult to pick a “best” Clarkson performance, as nearly every number earned raves. (Clarkson’s also the only winner to have never landed in the bottom three on her way to winning the first season.) So why pick the jazz standard “Stuff Like That There,” which she sang for the Big Band-themed night? Because, in her little polka-dot dress with the string of pearls, she mopped the floor with previous front-runners Tamyra and Justin, who had preceded her that evening with strong performances of their own. Clarkson was the true revelation of the night, and she hasn’t looked back since.

Her close second: “Natural Woman”

1. Fantasia Barrino, “Summertime,” season three

Barrino, a 19-year-old single mom whose rasp reminded listeners of Aretha Franklin, was starting to lose fans for being all swagger and no softness. Then she sat down on a stage for a movie soundtrack-themed show and belted “Summertime” from “Porgy and Bess.” The result was so overwhelmingly emotional that Randy thought it was the best performance in “Idol” history. The eventual season-three winner sang it again in the finals, and Simon summed it up by saying, “You are without question the best contestant we’ve had in any competition.” Now that’s memorable.

Her close second: “Something to Talk About”

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